Page:The age of Justinian and Theodora (Volume 2).djvu/180

 he found men who were capable of conceiving and executing great designs. Neither history nor modern research enables us to explain with fullness the origin and evolution of that variety of ecclesiastical building which is recognized as typically Byzantine, and of which the church of St. Sophia, erected by Justinian, remains to the present day as the only decided prototype. The accounts which have come down to us of the construction of this edifice indicate clearly that the architects engaged in the work were attempting to do something which had not been done before; or, at least, that their design, if not original, had never to their knowledge been put into practice on so large a scale. Failure, therefore, was a contingency with which they had to reckon, and, until their scheme was completed, they had to be prepared to modify or even to abandon their plan.

that Anthemius had a next-door neighbour, a rich man, who incommoded him by additions to his mansion which interfered with some ancient lights, etc. The architect determined to revenge himself by terrifying the offender while in the act of entertaining a party of friends at a banquet. For this purpose he hit on the expedient of carrying pipes from large covered caldrons into the roof of the mansion, where he packed every outlet, and at a fitting moment applied fire to the vessels when full of water. Thus, after the steam began to rise and high pressure was induced in the confined space, a great commotion was occasioned which shook the mansion and caused the banqueters to rush out into the street exclaiming that there was an earthquake. Subsequently, when the affair was generally understood, Anthemius got the reputation of being a man who could produce artificial earthquakes. A work by Anthemius on Mechanical Paradoxes was published at Paris in 1777.]*
 * [Footnote: *thing of the power of steam was understood in those days. It appears